Game appliance



ct.` 5, 1 937. H, Q COSTELLQ 2,094,766

GAME APPLIANCE Filed Sept. 28, 1954 Patented Oct. 5, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE prevent partially missed balls from being driven long distances or into sections where they are liable to cause damage or where they may be inl capable of being recovered readily.

1'5" Another object of the invention is the provision of an improved device of thisl character comprising means adapted for ready application to a golf club and employed' for connecting a ball thereto in such a manner asl to prevent the ball beingv l driven a long distance when practicing drives.

A further' object of the invention is the provision of an improved golf club adapted for use in practice and so constructed as to trapthe ball, if the ball isstruck fairly, and further indicate that part of thenormal face portion of the golf club head which Would have made contact with the ball, in order to show the user what errors are present in his swing and' how his play maybe improved.

Another object' of the invention'is the provision of av golfclub head provided with an opening in one facethereof for/receiving a golfball or practice b-all, and having inwardly converging walls for gripping the ball as itv is ldriven into the open- V ing toretain the ball and indicate'by its position withinV the club head that portion of the face of the club head which would contact withthe ball.

A` further" object of the invention is the provision of a golf clubV head provided with an'open- 4.0'3 ing upon the strikingfface thereof and having means for" receiving and gripping a.' ball passed through the opening 4in sucha'manner as to retainthe' ball in'p'ositiori' to" indicate its striking point relative to'the'center of 'thetheoreticalsury 45V face of the club head. y

A further"object o'f" theinvention is the provision of a golf club of this character having a head portion provided with an opening extending throughout a substantial portion of what is nor- 50 mally the striking surface of the club head and provided with a. rigid portion or portions extending rearwardly of what is normally they striking surface of the club head and formed substantially integral with the club head to provide a substan- 55 tially integral club head having means for trapping a golf balll in such a manner as to indicate that portion of the theoretical striking surface contacting with the ball.

Other objects and advantages oi the invention relate to various improved details of construc- 5 tion and novel arrangements of the parts as will be more fully set forth in the detailed descriptionV to follow.

Referring to the drawing:-

Fig. 1 is a'perspective view of the golf club togetherA with the ball attaching means shown in position upon the end of the shaft, and illustrating the location which the parts may assume as the user is about to strike the ball,

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of one form of the golf club head' which may be employed in practice,

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional View through the club head, taken substantially along the line 3 3 of Fig. 2, and,

Fig. 4 is a perspective View of a somewhat modied form of clubI head.

In the' embodiment of the invention illustrated herewith, I designates the handle or shaft portion of a golfclub and 2 the head thereof. In the' form of the invention shown in Fig. 1 an attaching member 4, which may consist of a cap formed of rubber or other suitable material, and having a sleeve portion 5 adapted to extend downwardly over a portion of the end of the golf club and grip the same suiciently to normally retainthe cap in position thereon while at the same time permitting its ready removal when desired, is shown attached' to the end'of the shaft I. A cord 6` formed of any suitable material has one end`connected to the cap 4 and has the opposite end thereof connected to a golf ball or practice ball I in any suitable manner, as indicated at 8.

The club head 2 may be provided with an edge portion I0 corresponding with and defining the plane of the normal striking surface of a golf i40 club of this character. The edge portion I0 surrounds an opening I2 formed in the face-of the golf club head which'may be of such extent longitudinally of the head as to be nearly co-extensive with the length of the l striking surfacefof the "v usual 'golf club head of this"type. To provide 'the opening I2 as above described the golf club head is shaped to form a substantially rigid oblong closed loop portion I4, from which may extend rearwardly integral or interconnected substantially rigid loops I5 and I6, each of which may be formed integral with or xedly united with the oblong loop portion I4 of the club head.

As best shown in Fig. 3 of the drawing, the inner surface of the oblong closed loop portion Y wardly extending loop I4 as well as'the inner surfaces of the rear- I5 are beveled or inclined at the top and bottom as indicated at I8 to form a vertically restricted rearwardly extending space so that as the ball 1 is driven through the opening it is compressed slightly and held iirmly in position within the rearwardly extending portion of the club head and substantially in line with its point of contact with the theoretical striking surface of the club head at its point oi entry into the opening I2, as indicated by the line i9 showing the path of travel of the ball as it enters the club head in Fig. 2` of Y with the club head and which may be integrally' united with each other as shown in the drawing. In this form or" the invention the forwardly extending edges 24 of the closed loop portion 2l may be curved outward slightly instead of being formed straight as `better adapted for use in practice for readily trapping a golf ball or practice ball.

Ihe skeleton ball holding means extending rearwardly from the loopporton in each form of the invention a'rejpreferablyV of Yrigid' construction and are so shaped as to provide a vertically `restricted space located rearwardly of the loop shaped portion in which the ball may be forced inmaking the stroke and where it is gripped rmly toV hold it in a position corresponding with the point at which the ball enters formed separate'from and firmlyV secured to the closed loopportion Iii forming the main skeleton head of the golfclub. Y

In the form ofl club shaft shown herein the upper portion of the shaft is wound withv suitable material, as is customary, to providea hand' grip, and the c ap or resiliently'gripping detachable holding member 4 is secured to the free end, as being that portion of the club shaft subjected'to the least movement or which travels through an arcof approximately the shortest radius of Yany portion of the club in striking the ball. This arrangement provides a means of attachment with the ball wherein the connecting cord or member offers substantially nofinterference with the free swinging Vof the club, and' ythe movement of the club is unaffected by the presence of the cord. Y

In the use ofthe improved appliance the cap 4 and: interconnected cord I and ball I may be carried about separately from the 'golf club and applied thereto, when desired, for'the purpose of practicing driving. In the useV of the construction shown the ballY 'I may be placed upon a driving T and in practicing driving, if the ball is hit squarelyv so as to contact with what would be the sweet center of a club of the conventional type it will enter the opening I2 and be trapped in the golf club head at a point substantially centrally of the longitudinal extent of the opening I2. If the ball is found to be trapped Within the cluby head either towards the right or left of the-central point of the longitudinal opening it will indicate thatY the 'ball was not brought into contact with the center of the theoretical striking surface, that is, that the golfers stroke requires correction as he is not hitting the ball squarely on the center of the striking surface.

In practicefthe ordinary player using this club nand having some experience in play will either swing to vtrap the ball within the club head or strike the 4ball a glancing blow which will not trap the ball but will drive it in a direction at an angle to the direction desired. If he strikes the ball glancingly witha part of the loop, the ball will be held against being driven a long distance by the cord 6. When he has acquired suflicient `proficiency to trap the ball fairly consistently, the position of the ball in the club head will tell him whether he is swinging the center of thetheoretical striking surface outwardly or inwardly of the position of the ball, and thus indicate what change he should make inv his stroke. 'v

What I claim isr- Y f 1; The combination with a golfclub comprising ahead and 'a shaft secured to theA head, a practice ball, a resilientlyV gripping .holding member fittingv over andrdetachably secured to the club shaft adjacent to' the freeV end thereof, and means connectingv said detachable holding member and practice ballfor Vlin'liting the extent of, movement of said balljwhen struck by said golf' club. p l 2. In a'game appliance of the'character described, thecOmbination' with a golf club comprising a shaft providedwitha hand grip, of a praoticeball, a resiliently 'gripping' detachable holding member detachably securedto th'e club shaft'at a point adjacent to the portion of most. limited movement when striking the ball, and

means for securing said ball'to said holding" iently 'gripping holding `member,detachably lit-V tingupon the free end of said shaft adjacent,

to the hand grip,'fand means'cOnnecting said holding memberma'ndV -practice ball for limiting the extent of movement Vof said ball when struck by said golf4 club while permitting relatively free movement of said club without interferencewith said ball. l f HENRY COSTELLO.

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